10 ( )

It was sometimes hard to follow because in their thoughts they would be talking about something and then all of a sudden they would be talking differently onto a new thought. I also didn't like how the book ended but I guess that's reality. ( )

If you like happy endings with hearts and flowers…this is not a story like that. It had its fair share of hearts and Cece and Mack fall deeply in love, which was beautiful. They were both deeply scared individuals who had a rough life up to finding one another. To see so much hope, possibility and optimism about a future that seemed at best unsure before they met each other was joyful. But it’s amazing how fast things can change. A person’s whole life can hinge on a moment. This book illustrates the frailty of life and the pain of paying for wrong choices. In reality none of us gets any “do-overs”.

Mr. Griffin creates characters that you genuinely care about and want to see succeed. He also includes gritty reality and truth. You see the characters short-comings, their broken places and you celebrate their growth and mending too. Stay With Me gets 5 sloppy puppy dog kisses from me! ( )

Boy, I haven’t read a tear jerker in a long time, but Stay With Me by Paul Griffin brought tears to my eyes. Mr. Griffin was nice enough to come to our library and give a writing workshop and now I’m sad that I missed the opportunity to see/hear him.

Cece and Mack are made for each other and they know it. They are truly in love, even if they’re only fifteen. Cece doesn’t care about Mack’s prison record. If her brother Tony says Mack’s OK, then he’s OK, because Tony is never wrong. He knows people. But sometimes being in love requires the utmost sacrifice.

Griffin has created a cast of characters that you love, warts and all. Vic ‘knows what he knows’ and is willing to give people chances, including Mack. Cece’s mother, Carmella, might drink a bit much, but she loves her kids ‘like a crazy person’. Cece’s brother Tony has a heart of gold. And Mack. Despite a hard life, he’s a good person and has a special way with dogs. He can train any dog, but has a soft spot for pit bulls (as does Griffin). This may be his undoing and his salvation.

I need to give you the first paragraph: “A Hundred and Two Days: That’s probably about average, but it didn’t seem close to that long, especially in the beginning, that first month or so. It was just getting to that sweet spot, where everything is perfect for a while. A short while. Before it starts to fade-little by little, usually. Not for them, though. For them, it was ripped away in the middle of an ordinary summer afternoon, in a little less than a minute and a half.”

Very powerful. Stay With Me is told by both Cece and Mack. They are strong characters. This is a strong story. Stay With Me is definitely one of my 10 best books of 2012. I’ll be reading more of Paul Griffin. ( )

Fifteen-year-old opposite's Céce (pronounced Chee Chee) and Mack fall in love and their story is told here over 102 days. She's an A student; he's a high school dropout with a troubled past and a gift for training dogs. They bond over a rescued pitbull and are soon spending all their time together. Mack suffers from a learning disability and anger management issues and hears 'static' during these episodes. One day he makes a terrible mistake, and their lives are turned upside down.

Griffin has written a touching story about the gritty realities of life. What shines through is that the author has a deep understanding of and empathy for the type of teenager's depicted in this book. I really enjoyed this story. Recommended for older teens. ( )